"The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Better Known as The Katy"

We biked a section of the Katy Trail in 2012 near Sedalia, MO, and we were excited to have an opportunity to bike more of it this year. It's a 240 mile long state park, the longest Rails to Trails project.

We parked at the St. Louis Premium Outlets near the park we are staying at. From there it is easy to access the Monarch Chesterfield Levee Trail, and that connects to a dedicated bike and pedestrian lane across the Boone Bridge over the Missouri River.

From the bridge you get a great view down the river.

On the north shore the trail connects to the Katy Trail. We headed west with the river to our left and steep cliffs to our right. The trail surface is hard packed gravel.

At a couple of spots along the river we found historical markers commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition which originated not far upriver.

After about five miles we came to the Weldon Spring Trailhead.

This interesting bridge spans the Femme Osage Creek near where Daniel Boone and his family settled.

We biked to the Matson Trailhead, where we found a picnic table in the shade to have lunch.

Our entire round trip was a little over 21 miles. Tomorrow we'll ride the section of the trail that extends east from the Boone Bridge.